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Winter. 1938-39 NATIONAL HOME 8i COUNTRY MAKES ITS DEBUT Her Excellency The Lady Tweeds. mun, Canada’s first lady and 53. former ardent English Women’s Insti- tute member and worker, has given the Women’s Ipstitutes ofICanads ' a tremendous impetus during her regime as wife of our Governor Gen- e“Iii.th only has she backed up her keen interest by 'many inspirational talks at conventions and Institute meetings, but has shown_ it in a practical way by the collection of ap- roximately 25,000 books which have con made into rural libraries. These are known as The Lady Tweedsmuir Libraries and are circulated mainly in the remote districts of three west- ern provinces, Manitoba,, Saskatch- ewan and Alberta. And now, due largely to the inspir- ation of Her Excellency, is the launching of a national Women's Institute ma amineâ€"“Canadian Home and Country’. She has honoured the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada by allowing her name to be placed permanently on the title page as founder and has offered to write articles for this publication. For years this magazine has been the dream of national Women’s Insti- tute leaders from coast to coast. It has always been felt that such a medium was necessary to promote a national vision of our work. Wo- men’s Institutes are strong in their branch work, strong provincially and the last two yearsâ€"particularly since the A.C.W.W. Triennial Conference in Washington and later the visit of these delegates to Canadaâ€"inter- nationally. They have lacked a na- tional co-ordination and it is felt that the national magazine will meet this need. Several years ago the magazine idea almost reached culmination. At the last Biennial Convention in Tor- onto, November, 1937, the idea was brought up again and Her Excel- lency voiced approval in her con- vention address. The Unity Press of Montreal, represented by Mr. Edward Gmss, waited on the Board with pro- unsals and verbal assurance that suf- ficient advertising would be solicited to meet the printing costs. The F‘.W.I.C. Board decided to make a subscription survey. A year has gone by; Mr. Gross has not only reiterated his assurance that enough advertising can be secured to finance printing costs, but has guaranteed the printing bill for three months. We have approximate- ly 73,000 members in Canada. Our rate is so cheapâ€"25 cents a year for 12 issues of a 48 pages magazine. Each and every member can do her bit. If half our total membership subscribed, it would net over $9000.00. The question of doing away with provincial Women’s Institute papers has been raised and my advice asked. In instances where these have been long and firmly established, I would Say “no”. There is room for both because, in my experience of 20 years of Women’s Institute publicity work, Provincial papers published every three months have little space for activities of other provinces. I have accepted the position of editor-in-chief, until the F.W.I.C. Board meets. I appeal to you for support not only in subscriptions but for stories of outstandin achieve- ments. the kind which are Just as in- teresting to the Women's Institute reader in Prince Edward Island as in Vancouver Island. ‘ In closing, may I pass along the ideas of Mrs. Fred McLaren, imâ€" mediate past president of Prince Ed- ward Island Women’s Institutes: "I would like to see articles in this megaâ€" zine describin phases of rural life in each province, establishing our Youth by various adult education schemes, and, above all, articles which would make for a better understand- "lg’between east and west and a realization that we are a nation, and what concerns one concerns all." . (Contributed by Elizabeth Bailey Price). HOME AND COUNTRY M A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE Once more greetings and my best wishes to members of the Women's Institutes throughout Ontario. Institute women enter u on the year 1939 under the direction of a new Superintendent. aturally, we all have been sorry to lose the capable services of the former Miss Bess McDermand. We have been fortunate, however, in securing, as head of the Women’s Institute Branch, Miss Mary A. Clarke. heartily commend her to the rural women of Ontario. She has innate ability and excellent academic qualifications. I am confident that, with experience and given adequate oo-operation, Miss Clarke will nobly fill her new position. May I wish a Happy Year for all. May the contribution of Institutes to the culture and standards of rural lifeâ€"great in the pastâ€"be still greater during the current year. ANNUAL MEETING P. M. DEWAN. DETERMINES YEAR’S WORK The Institute annual meetiJi is one of the most important meetings of the year. It has a. very definite part in shapin the success and eflective- nose at t e service which may be rendered to the individual and to the community. The local Institute is the important unit of the whole Institute organ- ization. It is important because it is responsible for establishing a cultural programme for homemakers and for sponsoring such enterprises as will make the community a better place in which to live. The annual meeting day is one of pleasant social associa- tion, where members renew their friendships, and unconsciously estab- lish and foster a cooperative spirit and attitude of good will. of course there is business to con~ sider, but this need not be a boring or tedious period, if die executive ofiicers have so planned this part of the meet- ing that each item of business 15 quickly and thoroughly dealt with. The president and secretary will have discussed each item prior to the meet- ing with an understanding of the needs and possibilities of the Insti- tute. The secretary has an important and responsible position and, when render- ing an account of her stewardship, gives the members some idea of her responsibilities and discloses her efficiency in the discharge of her duties. Some Institutes are handiâ€" capped because the person accepting the oflice of secretary fails to under- stand her duties or because of the confusion which may arise if she relinquishes her ofiice before the con» clusion of her term. For this reason, one who is considering the acceptance of this office should study the duties of the office and whether or not, elected, she will be able to continue in this capacity for the eriod of twelve months; or, if desire , for a further period. When the secretary remains in office at least one year, the Institute is assured that literature and corre- s ondence from the main ofiice and el’sewhere will reach it promptly. An important art of the annual meeting is the se ection of oflicers or leaders for the year, as all officers are automatically vacant at the end of the year. Of course, the Institutes which utilize a nominating commutes have a distinct advantage over those which nominate oflicers on the day of the annual meeting. They will have had opportunity to interview pros- pective candidates and secure therr consentâ€"a wise procedure to follow. After the election, the secretary Will promptly notify all officers and con- veners of their appointment._ In the case of conveners she Will fur- nish them with a copy _ of the functions of standing committees to help them to plan their work. It is at this meeting that new members join and renewals are made,_ thus making the personnel from which to select officers and conveners. Re- sponsible positions are assigned to members only. _ _ The business of the annual is im- portant and interesting. The secre- tary-treasurer’s report gives informâ€" ation of the financial status of the Institute and shows whether funds have been judiciously distributed. The audioors’ report makes oppor- tunity to discuss this point and the acceptance of this report places the responsibility upon the entire mem» bership. The auditors should have ample time and be furnished with all necessary papers and information to present a proper audit. This is taken care of in advance of the an» nual meeting day, as it is not possible for an auditor to do satisfactory work otherwise. The reports of conveners are naturally a part of the da ’s review. Some Institutes are following a definite line of study, and will find the summing up of special value when filanning the following year’s work. eports of projects undertaken will reveal both strength and weaknesses, and the discussion of these will assist materially in strengthening the pro~ gramme of the Institute. There is an art in summarizing reports, to give all worth-while activities recognition and brevity gives zest to the report. Some Institutes wisely choose to establish only one or two of the standâ€" ing committees for any one year, selecting those most suited to their needs and possibilities. They can thus make a thorough study which will result in progress in these parâ€" ticular lines. In this special study, which may be Canadian Industries or, perchaiice, Education, the Convener wisely plans her work so that the subâ€" ject may be considered under djlferent phases or divisional headings. In this way, the members become really informed upon the subject selected. When the members have been conâ€" sidering some special interest during the year, which is of wider import than the local Institute, they may deem it advisable to voice their in- terest in a resolution. The convener on Legislation will have been active and ascertained what legislative meas- ures exist, if any, and will have secur- ed such data as may be available to support such a resolution. Then havâ€" ing studied the Hand Book, she will know how to draft and how to present her resolution. The members all unâ€" derstand that resolutions of province- wide interest should be endorsed by the local Institute before being preâ€" sented to the district annual for conâ€" sideration. Then comes the all important mat- ter of programme planning. The reâ€" view of the past year’s work enables the members to make wise choice of programme material. Keeping in mind the needs and resources of the Institute, the committee will more readily decide what will best meet the needs and interests of the community. The members should decide in which of the district projects they would like to participate for the coming year. (Contributed by Miss M. Viola Powell, Women's Institute Branch). 3 THE OFFICERS’ RALLIES AND THEIR PURPOSE (Continued from page 1, col. 4) At certain district annuals held in districts where Officers’ Rallies had. been held previously, a marked imâ€" provement in ractice was observed, and one coul not but thrill with pride at the skill and ability with which the officers met and disposed of each situation as it developed. In a letter to the Homemakers‘ Page, Globe mod Mail, Dec. 12, 1938, the writer speaking of an Institute meeting attended by The Lady Tweedsmuir, quotes Her Excellency, . . . “I couldn’t help but be amazed at the poise and efficiency of the women conducting the meeting. We town and city was men get lots of credit for managing membership in clubs and groups, but I felt at this meeting that scarcely enough praise is given to these rural women.” The Writer goes on to say, “In this meeting the lady in the chair handled the parliamentary procedure excellently, calling for motions and votes as they should be called for. Members taking part in the proâ€" gramme did so unselfconsciously, though they must have been nervous before such a distinguished guest.” This is surely encouragement for us, if encouragement is needed. Women's Institutes could, if they would, set the standard for correct procedures for women’s organizations through- out Canada, and their response to the opportunities provided them through the Rallies leads one to hope that the day may not be far distant when they may achieve this goal. This last year, the list of subjects for discussion, as set forth in the Co- operative Programme, was enlarged to include Discussion Methods and Duties of Officers, and these proved the popular choice among the dis- tricts. In so far as the nature of the work would permit, the discussion method has been followed in dealing with all subjects introduced, 50 that members are not entirely unfamiliar with its methods. The most suc- cessful Rallies have been those where there was general participation in the discussions and Where spontaneous ex- pression of opinion by at least a ma- jority of those present proved their interest and guaranteed their pleas- ure and profit. The Co»operative Programme dc~ scribes the Rallies as a training school for leaders and it has been our aim to preserve all through, the atmosphere of the happy informality of a day at school. Where possible, the seats are grouped informally facing a blackboard used to list the various points as they are made, and later for summaries. The pupils come, pencils and notebooks in hand and With receptive minds, to glean from this all-tooâ€"short day at school, that which will bear frui in improved methods and abler admi istration as they carry on their tasks in the local Institute, district and convention area. They come, as one woman said, be- cause "as Institute officers they wish to do better. to know better and to be better”. Though the serious purpose of these meetings is always dominant they are not without their lighter moments, and this is well, since, after women have laughed together over an absurdity, they have clearer vision to seek together the happy solution of a common problem. It is said that the ideal Institute meeting should provide information, recreation and inspiration. This holds true also for the Ofiicers' Rally and many of the best Rallies held have closed the day sounding a note of high inspiration. This also is well. We must see to it that somehow, some way, each officer and each member views her membership as something vital, significant, deserving of her best. It is indeed a medium through which she may make her contribution to her day and age, brin ‘ng to her» self a more abundant li , to home and community illimitable enrichment, and to Canada a. happier, brighter to- morrow. (Contributed by Mrs. Clarence Hayes, Georgetown, Ontario.)